Pseudocyesis - 'Phantom' quints pregnancy devastates dad-to-be

[Jesus Malverde]

A man who believed for months that he was going to be the father of quintuplets instead found out in hospital his girlfriend was never pregnant.

Delivery day came and went on Wednesday and only then did Paul Servat, 35, realize Barbara Bienvenue, 37, wasn't with children.

A disappointed and tearful father recounted his dashed dreams to QMI Agency at his home south of Montreal, in the baby room filled with five colourfully adorned cribs that lie empty.

"She let me choose the names," Servat, 35, said between sobs, surrounded by donated gifts for the five fictitious babies.'

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/03/20/dad-to-be-shocked-girlfriend-wasnt-even-expecting

wow!

[TwilightGardener]

1. What the hell was in that ENORMOUS stomach, then? Octomom wannabe.

[LisaL]

2. Apparently it swelled like that because the woman believed she was actually pregnant.

Amazing.

[treestar]

7. I read in a biography of Mary Tudor

Mary I of England, wanted an heir so badly, she really believed she was pregnant, and looked it enough for the people of that time to follow the normal household routine for a pregnant lady - withdrawing to her rooms, people preparing for a baby, birth, and yet she never was pregnant. Had to give up the idea when she got to the 11th month or so.

The author had a theory that the swelling was due to some health problem - it went down eventually.

[Jesus Malverde]

8. Montreal... Poutine

Poutine is a common Canadian dish, originally from Quebec, made with french fries, topped with a light brown gravy-like sauce and cheese curds.

[JustAnotherGen]

3. I went to the article itself

It still doesn't explain how there was no ultrasound. . . At her age (I'm ttc at 41) in Western Medicine she is considered advanced age - no ultrasounds?

[Jesus Malverde]

4. yes or how she arrived at 5

[LisaL]

5. Presumably she knew that she wasn't actually pregnant at least on some level.

[JustAnotherGen]

9. Or early on

She had a chemical pregnancy. C.P. will make you think you are, create the hormone sickness, etc. etc. but you aren't.

But if she's pulled this stunt before . . .

[Jesus Malverde]

12. how could you arrive at 5 without ultrasound

[JustAnotherGen]

13. I don't know

it doesn't seem possible. It just doesn't seem possible.

The other thing - and again I'm lumping all Western Medicine in together and aligning Ob/Gyn's in Canada and the USA as probably following the same basic procedures -

Advanced age
5 fetuses
No genetic testing?
No bed rest?
No attempt at reduction?


One of the women in my group who just went through egg donor IVF at 38 was required to reduce 3 to 2. I can't believe that any doctor (if she ever SAW one - wink wink don't think she did) would let a woman in her late 30's proceed with Quints.

[Jesus Malverde]

14. The picture of the dude in a room with 5 cribs...

[LisaL]

15. I presume it's very unlikely she actually saw any doctors for her "pregnancy."

Obviously any doctor would know she wasn't actually pregnant after doing some tests.

[JustAnotherGen]

16. I would hope

Unless she got snookered by one of the 'alternative charlatans' that take advantage of the emotional distress people who volunteer for the Abusement Park called the Fertility Industrial Complex - go through. It's possible. But seeing as she has a history of this behavior - I don't know.

Look they met LAST summer per that article. So this many doesn't really know her. My three pregnancies (all miscarriages) my husband knew before me.

This guy just pops into her life, she's 'pregnant' and away he went with it.


Dare I say - she's crazy. And he's stupid?

[3catwoman3]

17. I am so sorry to hear...

...about your pregnancy outcomes. That must have been so difficult.

[Sheldon Cooper]

6. I read in a different article, maybe the Daily Mail, that she

had another 'false' pregnancy a few years ago. So, I don't know if she truly thinks she's pregnant, or she's running a scam of some sort. The picture in the Sun article sure makes her look pregnant, it would be hard to fake that, but I agree that a naturally occurring quint pregnancy would put doctors and the hospital on high alert and she would have had extremely close monitoring during the last trimester.

ETA: daily mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2586805/Woman-tricks-boyfriend-entire-Canadian-town-believing-pregnant-QUADRUPLETS.html

The friend revealed that Barbara pulled the same stunt with 'at least one other man in 2010'.

[pipi_k]

10. The human mind is

both amazing and very scary at the same time.


One of the most famous cases of this condition happened with Mary Tudor, Queen of England, after she married Phillip of Spain.

She had two false pregnancies.

For anyone wondering what was in her abdomen, one book I read stated that nothing emerged but "wind and putrid matter".

Meaning, god only knows what....


but it is a real condition, especially so when the woman's partner is able to actually SEE the belly swelling up, and it's not the result of strategically placed pillows or padding.

[Jesus Malverde]

11. In some ways science says the mind does not matter...

There is a real disconnect on some health issues about healing and mental state.